Air-cooled internal-combustion engine



'J. M. WILLIAMS, JR.

AIR coon-:0 INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT-22,1920.

Patented Feb. 7, 1922.

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1 m m m 3 follow only a portion of posed to the cooling air to which is proposed to provide each of same with a lined surface,

- ti'on UNITED STATES v PATENT- OFFICE.

JOHN Mf'iNILLIAMS, .13., OF MONTGLAIR, NEW JERSEY.

I "AIB-COOLED INTERNAL-COMBUSTION ENGINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

. Patented Feb. 7, 1922.

' Application filed September 22, 1920. Serial No. 411,901.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, JOHN M. WILLIAMS, J r., a citizen of the United States, residing at Montclair, in the State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Air-Cooled Internal-Combus- Engines, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to internal combustion engines and more particularly to air cooling systems therefor.

In the present type of air cooled engines in which the cooling air is blown against one side of the engine cylinders and the opposite sides of the cylinders left unexposed to the cooling air, an unequal .cooling of-the cylinders results, thus causing a distortion of the cylinder and a consequent sticking of the piston or loss of compression.v This is due to the factthat the common type of engine cylinder has its outer surface cylindrical as well as its inner. As a result of various experiments it has been discovered that if any round or cylindrical body is projected through the air or is exposed to a blast of air, the air stream around the same instead of conforming to the entire surface thereof, will come in contact with the front side and the curved surface, leaving at a point slightly to the rear of the center of the body on each side and converging at a point well to the rear thereof. Upon leaving the surface the air stream by reason of its velocity will withdraw the air normally around the rear side of the body, creating a gartial vacuum immediately behlnd the same.

uch state of vacuum, besides producing a tendency to retard the forward speed of the cylinder, also presents an inefiicient heat transmission medium, as the portion surrounded by this vacuum cannot radiate its heat energy readily and also will not be exthe cylinder is subjected.

It has also. been found that by extendmg the rear side of such a cylinder to completely fill the space in which the vacuum is created, the retardation of the speed of said cylinder will be lessened and a more efficient heat transmission medium will be presented. Also, it will be seen that by so streamllning the surface the cool air stream will come in contact with samethroughout its entire outer surface.

Therefore to obviate the difficulty arising from unequal cooling of engine cylinders it the rear of streamlined outer surface by an extension, cast integrally with or otherwise attached to the rear side of the cylinder, of the correct size and shape to fill the vacuum in the cooling air stream to which it is subjected. It is further proposed that this extension shall be provided with a passageway which shall serve as an intake manifold. Thus, I will have accomplished the several features of providing a means for warming the mixture,

assisting greatly in cooling the hot side of the cylinder and in doing away with head resistance of the usual intake manifold and lessening the head resistance of the cylinder itself.

This maybe accomplished in the radial type of engine, especially those adapted for aircraft, where the cooling air is forced past.

the cylinder by the motion of the aircraft, by streamlining each cylinder with respect to said forward motion, thus attaining an efficient cooling effect and furthermore, reducing head-resistance of the cylinder, and completely eliminating head resistance of the intake manifold.

In the vertical multi-cylinder type of engine it is' found desirable to streamline the cylinders in a direction at a right angle with respect to the longitudinal aXiS of the engine and to provide at the side thereof, auxiliary fans producing a cooling blast of air traveling in said aforementioned direction.

The at present preferred embodimentof my inventlon will be found in the accompanying'specification and annexed drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a vertical section through a single engine cylinder, showing the cooling flanges thereon; v

Figure 2 is a cross section of a'cylinder of the improved type showing the streamline effect for cooling; and

Figure 3 is a plan view of the engine showing each cylinder in streamline w1th respect to the auxiliary cooling fans.

Fi ure 4 is a cross section of a cylinder provlding the hot side of its cylinder with cooling ribs within the intake manifold attached as shown.

-Referring primarily to Fig. 3, 1 designates a cylinder havin a cooling flange-2, opposite sides C and the latter side having cast integrally therewith, or otherwlse attached, a V-shaped extension 6 upon the cylinder, and an extension 7 upon the cooling flange 2 so shaped as to present a streamusing side C as the entering edge. By reason of this streamline effect the cooling airupon striking the side of the cylinder will come in contact with the entire surface of the cylinder-and extension, giving the side H a chance to impart its heat energy through the cooled surface 6 to the air stream.

The intake manifold 12 contained in the streamlining for the cylinder, as shown, provides for the passage of the fuel over the hot side of the cylinder, thereby assisting greatly inthe cooling of the same as well as insuring a proper vaporization of the fuel mixture. If desired the hot side of the cylinder may be provided with cooling fins 13 as-shown in Figure 4.

In Figure 3 is shown an engine of the vertical type with arrows indlcating the air rushing in at the forward enbl 8 and guided by deflectors l1 and 11' at the front and rear ends respectively. Mounted at the side of and between each two c linders are auxiliary cooling fans 9 an 10, the cylinders being streamlined, as hereinbefore described, with relation to the blast caused by said fans 9 and 10. At the rear end is found a suction fan fly wheel indicated as at 12.

It is believed that this type of cylinder construction as described will be particularly adaptable to engines of the radial type as used on aircraft, where no provisions have heretofore been made for thedissipation of the excess heat on the rear side of the cylinders. The feature of thus warming the mixture in such a manner will be of great importance in motors of this type and also the feature of cutting down head resistance.

The cooling of the cylinder equally upon all parts of its surface obviates the dangerof warping and distortion. The device also provides .a novel cooling device effective in operation and simple in construction and Without the use of cumbersome outer casings for deflecting the cooling air around the cylinder surface as appear in some of the present types of air-cooled engines.

Having described my invention, I claim: 1. In an internal combustion engine, a cylinder streamlined in the direction of the air flow. I

2. In an air cooled internal combustion engine, a stationary cylinder streamlined in the direction of the airflow, and a cooling fan arranged to produce an airstream which impinges against said streamlined cylinder.

3. An internal combustion engine comprising stationary cylinders, auxiliary fans arranged at the side thereof and adapted to cause a blast of cooling air, means attached to each of the cylinders of said engine adapted to present a streamlined sur-- face to said blast for the pulnpose of exposing each of said cylinders, at all points; to said cooling air.

4;. In combination, an internal combustion engine cylinder and an intake manifold streamlined therewith.

5. In'combination, an internal combustion with to provide an'intake manifold.

6. In combination, an internal combustion engine cylinder and means streamlined therewith to provide an intake manifold, and

cooling flanges adapted to lie within said intake manifold.

In testimony whereof I have affixed my engine cylinder and means streamlined there- 

